Polkamaniacs to perform at Harrison Hills: 'It ain't your grandpa's polka'

An eight-piece band in matching blue plaid suits will perform Saturday in Harrison Hills Park, and the musicians have a message for anyone who might attend: “It ain’t your grandpa’s polka.”

“We’re a king-size plaidtastic stage show that no audience can resist,” said Michael Devine, a member of the Polkamaniacs.

The high-energy Pittsburgh-based band that formed just before the covid pandemic veers wildly from traditional Bohemian, accordion-based folk music.

“We put a little bit of everything in there,” Devine said. “There’s punk, rockabilly and country. We have a lot of fun with the audience.”

The concert is free and starts at 2 p.m. at the Yakaon Shelter. Harrison Hills is an Allegheny County-owned park that sits off Freeport Road in the Natrona Heights section of Harrison.

The family-friendly show will include “just enough” classic polkas with a slew of original, Pittsburgh-centric lyrics in the lineup.

“She’s My Little Pierogi” is a fan favorite, as is “Zombie Polka.”

Don’t be surprised during the show to find a crowd-surfing, 7-foot plastic kielbasi.

“It really is a good time, whether you think you’ll like it or not,” Devine said.

Bill Deasy, a musician who schedules and oversees the county concerts, said the band comes with high recommendations from people in the industry.

“They are super-fun and entertaining, not to mention talented,” he said.

The concert will be the first time the band has played at Harrison Hills.

Most of the band members are veteran local musicians who felt Pittsburgh and the surrounding region needed an amped-up show that reflected nothing but good music and good fun.

Instruments include an accordion, bass, banjo and drums.

The band’s first album, “Never Mind the Bolsheviks, Here’s the Polkamaniacs,” was released earlier this year and is a takeoff from the punk band Sex Pistols.

Tracks include “Elvised!” and “In Heaven There Is No Beer.”

Devine said audiences of all ages have responded well to the on-stage shenanigans.

“We’ve played everything from traditional polka fests to rock events,” he said. “Enthusiasm is spreading.”

Up next for the band is Smoketoberfest in October in Pittsburgh and a December gig at Moondog’s in Blawnox.